The invention relates generally to medical devices and procedures. More particularly, in some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a catheter assembly and an expandable member for repairing bone defects, displacing tissue and/or compressing tissue.
Expandable members are used in various minimally-invasive medical procedures. When deployed, the expandable member may be exposed to rough surfaces and/or high inflation pressures. Such an environment can cause abrasion, tearing and/or puncturing of the expandable member, thereby rendering them inoperative. Moreover, upon completion of such procedures, the expandable member is often returned to its collapsed configuration so that it can be removed from the patient's body, for example, via a cannula. Even when placed in a collapsed configuration, however, expandable members can have a wall thickness and/or an overall size such that even when in the collapsed configuration the balloons are not easily removed through the cannula.
Some known medical devices are configured to wrap an expandable member to reduce the size of the expandable member when in the collapsed configuration. Many of these medical devices, however, do not include components, such as for example, a shaft, a connector or the like, configured to withstand the torsional stress caused by such twisting.
Some known medical devices are configured to wrap and/or fold the expandable member to reduce the size of the expandable member when in the collapsed configuration. Many of these medical devices, however, do not include any mechanism for controlling the rotation of the expandable member.
Thus, a need exists for medical devices with expandable members having improved resistance against abrasion, tearing and/or puncturing for in various medical applications. For example, a medical device having an expandable member having multiple layers and/or coatings configured to resist tearing and puncturing may be desirable for use in environments in which the expandable member may contact hard, rough surfaces. A medical device having a mechanism for controlling the rotation of an expandable member may also be desirable. For example, an improved mechanism for contracting an expandable member after deployment may be particularly applicable in percutaneous medical procedures.